World Tree MUSH

    A rough plan of action was decided upon last time! And now it is time to start it? Fortunately, the colonists reluctantly agreed to wait until a solution could be attempted... though luring out Lyra was going to be difficult, if people wanted to do that. Lyra definitely seemed to be stubbornly wallowing in the swamp, and the Feeders had an apparent instinctive aversion to going aboveground. Though really, there was probably some predator that was harmless to humans that prompted that behavior.

    Today it is also kind of a dreary day. A chill, steady drizzle doesn't inhibit much, but does leave the ground muddy and the sky overcast, and while it's barely enough to dampen at first, it's so steady and clammy that within a few minutes, it soaks anyone to the bone. Or chassis, as the case may be.

 
 Weather had long ago stopped being an issue for Cyber Frost. Even before her cybernetic augmentations. She was always cold, and she liked that way- one might even say that the cold never bothered her anyway.. 
 
 Thus, the cyber ninja strode towards the group, happy to take point unless someone else wanted to. Normally Frost would be making a point to take charge here giving her arrogant behavior, but she had come to respect these warriors and her excitement for potential Kombat was keeping her focused on the task at hand, which was all very fortunate indeed. 
 
 "Alright.." She cracked her metallic knuckles. "So the plan was.. taunt Lyra out of the forest to get her to follow us? That doesn't sound too difficult." 

    Aloy was back again, having caught up on the situation. People don't want to go back but are being forced from their home. She can relate to that. As much of a misanthrope as she sometimes seems to be, Aloy really does like making lives better. The huntress was here with her bow and spear, looking decidedly primitive and out of place at first glance, but the sophisticated headpiece she wars is scanning the area, and she has a bag of... something with her.

    Something that proves to be traps, as she sinks them into the mushy ground. "I'll set up a few traps for her, but won't prime them until she's out. They're to keep her out of the swamp, right?" She frowns. "I still can't shake the feeling that something is weird about all this, though."

    Standing in the rain, letting it bead off the gleaming white armour plates, is the XE-MI doll frame, angular but rounded, spindly but bulky, its claws digging into the muddy ground as its red optic scans across the vastness of the swamps. The robot stands completely motionless; save for the slow panning of the camera 'head', and makes no sound unless directly addressed.

    The half-elf soul that normally controls the doll appears to be absent right now, the Doll itself set on 'wait' mode, or similar.

    Thankfully Samus' armor is sealed against the environment. The Hunter is dry and cozy in the confines of her techno-organic metal shell as she arrives to meet up with the others.
    "We should start by trying to talk to her." She says. "The colonists here just want to live in peace without worrying about her as a threat. If she doesn't comply, then you can do whatever you want. I'll even go along with whatever plan you put together to do it."
    She pauses long enough to eye the dorman XE-MI doll.
    Samus says nothing, and it's a good thing her visor hides the Hunter's expression, because she still does not like that particular Doll.

    The crew doesn't have to wait too long. While 'Lyra' as a whole doesn't come out of the swamp, one of her member bodies does. This one is a new one, a scrawny-looking guy with messy blonde hair... though maybe it's messy because of the dreary weather. He wades out without trouble though, coming to the edge of the swamp and looking at the group with a deep frown.

    Showing a little more emotion than the last few times, the previously unknown body calls out, "What is it you want this time?"

 
 "Of course something is weird about this." Cyber Frost glanced over to Aloy. "I'd be concerned if it didn't feel weird. Some crazed woman taking over the planet wanting to kill colonists for no particular reason or whatever? That paints them as all kinds of suspicious, I'd not be surprised if they're withholding information from us." 
 
 Beneath her mask, Frost smiled a cruel smile and she looked ahead, stretching her arms over her head. "But fortunately! I don't really care for the intrigue! I'm just here for the killing, if the colonists make it out after that, good for them I guess." Frost was trying hard to reveal that she was a complete psychopath, but the more she went without fighting, the harder it was to keep up the act. 
 
 It got even more complicated when Samus insisted that they talked to Lyra first instead of executing their plan immediately. "Uggh..." She muffled a grunt of annoyance, Elder Gods.. she just wanted to lose herself in battle! What did a girl have to do around here to get a good fight?? 
 
 "If you insist... Captain.." Frost struggled to comply with Samus and seemed to only do so because she had grown to respect the Hunter. 
 
 "We're here to talk!" Frost frowned to one of Lyra's bodies as it came out to greet them, glancing to Samus then expecting her to be the one doing the talking. 

    It's not that complicated. It's not complicated at all, really.
    Samus holds up a hand in half greeting and half a show of non-aggression as Lyra sends one of her bodies to meet the group.
    "Hello." Start off with the niceties. "The people of the colony just want to live here in peace. Currently they view you as one of the biggest threats to that. We already know that so long as they don't wander into your territory you don't seem to bother them but. Do you have any terms for non-aggression?"
    If this doesn't work, then the team can shoot her.

    Aloy can't really argue with the strange and violent woman about that. At least she's met everyone here at least once, so the huntress feels fairly comfortable, though Justina's doll keeps getting a look since it's not reacting as normal.

    This was Lyra though? Aloy knows not to judge a book by its cover(not that she has books in her world, really), but she's still unsure what's going on with this one. So she keeps her bow out, and nocked with a Tearblast arrow.

    When Lyra shows her body, the red optic of the XE-MI doll zeros in and locks onto the body. About then, it shifts from the stiff 'standby' posture, into a more fluid seeming one, as Justina activates control. She remains quiet still, but doesn't make any aggressive motions just yet.

    Well at least Samus gets an answer. It might be surprising though. "Humans and my kind do not get along and never will," the body says curtly, but at least without the robotic stoicism of before. "The swamp is mine. I will stay here as long as I like and any trespassers killed. If they wish to stay nearby that is not my concern, yet they still stray into my territory. Why?"

    Now it is Lyra's turn to present a question, glaring at everyone. Lyra can tell they're armed and ready, and the glare is steady, even through the light drizzle. "Do you mean to force me from my home?"

 
 Darn.. this was -exactly- what Cyber Frost was worried about! A moral dilemma! It was just like she was telling Aloy too, those colonists where definitely not telling them something, as even someone as deranged and blood thirsty like Frost had to pause when 'Lyra' mentioned that this was in fact her home. Now it was starting to smell like it was the colonists who were encroaching on her lands. 
 
 Frankly, Frost was surprised that she cared at all. Who was the good guy was not something she ever bothered to discover, all she wanted was to destroy her opponents in glorious Kombat! But now.. she finds herself hesitating?? How annoying.. she probably has to thank Suiren for making her grow a conscience. 
 
 Frost squared up as Lyra glared at them. Right or wrong, she never backed up from a fight. "Probably!" Said the cyborg, one of her hands turning into an ice drill, a furious icy glare starting at Lyra.. 
 
 But she glanced at Samus just in case. Eyes clearly asking the silent question 'Now do we attack her?' 

    "The colonists also call this home," Aloy points out. "And I haven't been as involved in this as some of the people here, but I do know that regardless of whether or not we force you out, then someone else will come her and try it anyway. The same people the colonists ran from." That's actually the extent of her knowledge here, though. She unfortunately wasn't here for some of the investigation so doesn't know more details.

    "But if we can move you first, then at least the colonists can stay. Or are you saying the colonists disrupted your home to begin with?" These moral ambiguities are such a pain, though unlike Frost, Aloy tended to try for the peaceful resolution.

    She can certainly understand the cyborg's frustration, though. She looks at Justina and Samus hopefully, since they likely know more about the details than she does.

    "If we can resolve this peacefully, we will." Samus says. "I don't think the settlers even want to be in your territory, anyway. But the feeders maeke it difficult for them. We've been told you've let people who have gotten lost go undisturbed, why not be a guide for those who get lost in your territory, lead them back to the others, and form a bond with the other settlers, instead of being their bogeyman?"
    Samus' eyes dart to Frost, a wordless look of 'not yet' in her gaze.
    Hopefully Lyra will give them a choice other than attacking her, but if it comes to that...

    Justina finally speaks up as well, "Perhaps we could proverbially kill two birds with one stone, as it were. The Feeders are a problem for the colonists, if you could, perhaps, assist with removing them, the colonists wouldn't need to hide in your territory, perhaps a bond could be formed. Mutual support as it were." she states, clasping handclaws behind her back and shifting to a much less 'ready' posture.

    At least Lyra is talking, much to Frost's disappointment. However, the suggestion to clean out the Feeders is not met with a positive response. "No, the feeders came from outside the area. It would be akin to trying to exterminate cockroaches in an entire city." Well that hope is dashed. "And I have no desire to become a guide. The colonists have nothing that I want, now that I have my bodies."

    That said the man pauses, thinking. "I know more than you think I know. And if what you say is true, then removing me will not help the colonists. The ones who will come for me will instead come for them."

 
 Cyber Frost has had almost enough of this. Lyra does not seem to want to budge, and she has turned out most of the other options. It still does not look like they are the ones at fault but it's not like they're offering an alternative peaceful solution. 
 
 Frost glances at Samus again, her eyebrows going up. 'Now?'

    So Lyra isn't leaving and there's no dealing with the feeders. Maybe it would be best to report back to the colonists to try the world Samus had suggested. The Hunter purses her lips behind her visor.
    Not yet, Frost!
    "What do you mean?"

    Aloy narrows her eyes. "What do you mean it won't help the colonists?" Then she gets a better idea. "If you were in our position of wanting to help the colonists stay here, what would you do?" Hey why not ask them? "You don't seem to mind talking to us."

    Justina seems to ponder for a moment or two, then silently turns and stalks off, the distinct sound of her movements fading as she leaves the group. Is she heading back to talk to the colonists?

    Now that is an interesting question. Lyra blinks and stops to consider. "I can't answer that," the body finally replies. "I would like to be left alone. I do know what will happen though. Even if the colonists leave, a team will now be sent to take care of me now that my presence is known. I will need to kill them, several times. This will end either with me being left alone, or a bombing of the swamp to completely obliterate me."

    The body rubs its chin and considers. "If the colonists stay, they will likely be killed as justification for the megacorporations to move on me. Unless another Reborn wishes to step in to save me, the same will happen, but I do not know if Echidna is alive, or where to find her." So, Lyra shrugs. "And father is unlikely to help. So I will either be killed again or be left alone. The colonists should leave if they want to live."

    Justina returns, heralded by the unique sound of the XE-MI's motion systems. "Could we relocate you, also? Or are you bound to this planet?" she asks, shifting to perch on a fallen tree trunk, like a cat with those sharp talon-like claws digging into the wood. "I mean, I don't know how your biology works, I'm a robotics scientist. There must be some way to settle this matter amicably for all parties involved."

    The Doll shifts a little as it taking a breath, then locks its singular red optic on the Body. "You claim there is no way to eliminate the Feeders, they are 'outside'. Do you mean they are not native to this planet?"

 
 Cyber Frost -almost- flew off her handle when Lyra said that she 'couldn't answer that'. 'Why the hell not!!?' Frost wanted to SCREAM and launch herself at Lyra for being so freaking obtuse. They were literally doing everything in their power to find a peaceful solution to not kill her on the spot and Lyra was shooting all their options down. Then she had the gall of saying a bunch of cryptic stuff with no context as if Frost and her companions instinctively knew what she was talking about. What other force? Why were they going to kill her? Why were they going to kill the colonists? What is a Reborn?? 
 
 These and other questions.. Frost didn't care about!! She had it with Lyra! 
 
 'NOW??' Frost glanced at Samus one more time. She was actually shaking now due to how furious she was. 

    "Then why don't you leave?" Samus asks almost at the same time Justina questions about relocating. From her hand appears a hologram display of a lush and verdant world. The Altar Planet, once again. "I already suggested the colonists leave as well. But the planet I offered them would be more than big enough for all of you. Together. Without a need for territorial disputes."

    "Wait," Aloy says suddenly. "So if you don't leave, they'll come to fight you. If we fight you, and the colonists don't leave... they'll get killed anyway. If we get you two living together in peace, the colonists will get killed and then you'll get attacked anyway." Aloy is just listing the things she understands here. "So what you're saying is that these people are going to come and take over your home no matter what, or attempt to, and we should really be fighting them?"

    She frowns. Fighting other humans was never pleasant. And she says as much! "I hate fighting humans, even if they're bandits. But it sounds like they're the problem. Why don't you leave?"

    Sigh. Lyra shakes his/her head(it's always a little complicated with cross-sleeving) and tries to explain. "I don't think much about these things, but the feeders must serve some purpose on this planet. I meant they come to this area of the planet from another part of the planet... a vast underground network of caverns. You could eliminate the local colony and another would simply move in, with much the same results." The creature then considers how to answer the rest.

    "You are correct in what will happen," Lyra replies. "But I will not leave. This is my chosen home and I refuse to let fear drive me from it. Let them take it from me with blood. The humans have grown too used to being masters of their domain, let them fear again. I have no interest in the strange world they have created, but all of my hosts hold a great hatred for them. As we are one now, I share that hatred and do not wish to give them anything more after they took so much." Lyra's body twitches lips into a smile. "Call it my last shred of humanity if you will."

 
 Come on.. surely after that now was the time to attack her right? 
 
 Cyber Frost even lost any pretense that she was considering an alternative. Her head leaned forward, her shoulders relaxed and arms tensed ever so slightly. The ice drills on her hands began whirling. An aggressive stance. 
 
 It was surely time... 
 
 All she needed was the command.. 

    So it was as she suspected. Aloy frowns and sighs. This situation wasn't as clear cut as she liked! But it does make it clear exactly who the bad guy is. The people who hired her. And it's also clear what Frost wants to do. She knew her type. Maybe someday, she could save Frost like she saved Nils. But for now... she needed to contain the cyborg. And perhaps guide her into something useful.

    "I'll handle Frost," she says to Justina, then steps forward to put hand on the cyborg's shoulder. "Easy. I know you want a challenge and to fight, but if we wait a little longer, then soon you'll have your chance to fight fifty, maybe sixty people at once."

    Justina looks to Aloy, giving a dip of the optic rig. Aloy pleads to Frost's ego, and Justina helpfully chimes in. "They might even have some people using powered armour."

 
 Just because Cyber Frost was hyper focused on Lyra did not mean that she was not aware of her surroundings. A poor warrior she would be if she didn't notice that Aloy was advancing towards her from her oblique angle. 
 
 "Eh!? Waddaya want!?" Frost reeled back and away from Aloy as she tried to place a hand on her shoulder, an indignant look on her face. She was so close to a battle! She could almost taste! There was no way that she could be convinced not to fight now. Now way! No way at all! 
 
 "Sixty people you say..?" That was.. a lot of potential kills to her name! 
 
 "With power armor???" 
 
 Yeah.. alright.. she got it. Frost turned off her drills and her hands returned to normal as she glared at Lyra. "You got lucky, punk!" 

    "Mmmmm..." This situation is looking pretty grim. The colonists don't want to leave. Lyra doesn't want to leave. Threats abound from almost every direction. Samus clenches her fist, killing the hologram.
    Turning to look towards the increasingly agitated Frost, Samus is about to speak when Aloy offers the cyborg the (arguably???) better alternative.
    "Close enough." She decides on the matter being resolved.

    Lyra watches all this with a bit of skepticism, and then a small nod. "You would go so far to help these colonists?" The hydra head considers, then shrugs. "I will not help the colonists, or you, but if you drive off the corporation I will repay you by designating an area of the swamp safe for the colonists. They have nothing I need, but if they leave me alone they can use that region for their homes." A pause.

    "But if they go back on that deal I will remove them myself. Good hunting."

    "Well bargained, and done." replies the Doll User, slinking off the the log, standing up and... vanishing in a sudden wink of light.